


Broken Wings

by Jadewing47



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Needs Help, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Identity Reveal, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Needs a Hug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Purrs, Angst, Bad Parent Gabriel Agreste, Eating Disorders, F/M, Fluff, Hurt Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Finds Out First, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Knows, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Identity Reveal, Minor Plagg/Tikki, Panic Attacks, Plagg Cares (Miraculous Ladybug), Protective Plagg (Miraculous Ladybug), Self-Harm, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:53:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24235351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jadewing47/pseuds/Jadewing47
Summary: "It's okay," he repeated, whispering to her tenderly, "I was always going to fall someday." She was frozen in terror as he smiled at her, gently caressing her cheek before the ground crumbled underneath him and he was gone.She screamed.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 25
Kudos: 120





	1. Chapter 1

Being Ladybug was the best thing that ever happened to Marinette. In the suit she was confident, she was brave, she was bold, loved, and respected. She could speak without stuttering, she could spew sassy comebacks to Chat Noir's flirting, she could fight evil and win. But being Ladybug also meant stress, injury, and lack of sleep.

Lack of sleep was the main reason as to why Marinette was sleeping sitting upright in her bed, her mouth hanging open and the lights still on, a physics textbook resting beside her and her tablet sitting in her lap, pencil remaining in her now slack grip.

"Kitty?" She ventured, staring into his emerald green eyes. Black mist surrounded them, wind whipping their hair and rushing past their ears, but Ladybug heard every whisper. "Kitty, what's wrong?" Something was wrong, something was bad, off about the situation and it was making her skin crawl.

"It's okay," he whispered, smiling at her sadly, "don't cry milady," Was she crying? She hadn't noticed. Sure enough, thick tears were plopping down her face, landing somewhere below her. Ladybug suddenly had a sickening feeling that "somewhere below her" was a very long way down.

"Chat," she said his name with urgency, willing him to tell her what was wrong, what was happening, why wasn't he okay, why wasn't he flirting, why wasn't he cracking jokes, why-

"It's okay," he repeated, whispering to her tenderly. "I was always going to fall someday." She was frozen in terror as he smiled sadly at her, gently caressing her cheek before the ground crumbled underneath him and he was gone.

She screamed.

oOo

"-inette! Wake UP!" came a high pitched shriek. Marinette shot out of bed, sending her schoolwork flying in all different directions, a scream dying on her lips as she collapsed next to her bed, hugging her knees to her chest and shaking, the images of her dream still screaming in her head. I was always going to fall someday.

She's panicking and she knows it, her breaths coming in little short puffs as her hand claws at her neck.

"Marinette!" Tikki snaps, shocking Marinette out of her panic, her eyes shooting to the little kwami floating in front of her face.

"Tikki I-" Tikki doesn't let Marinette finish before interrupting, her usually high and squeaky voice was stern.

"Marinette you need to tell me what you dreamed about right now." Marinette could only stare up at her kwami in shock. Tikki sighed, "I'm sorry Marinette but this is important. I sensed strong magic within your dreams which means whatever you saw could most likely be a message. Please Marinette I need to know what you saw."

Marinette's stomach drops.

"I-I was..I don't know where we were. We were up high. Chat…he..there was something wrong with him Tikki, he was…I-I don't know how to explain it. I kept asking him what was wrong, because something was wrong I could feel it. And-and then he, he just. Oh god Tikki he kept saying that it was okay, and he told me not to cry, and then, then he..he had his hand on my cheek and he said-" Marinette was wailing now, "he said its okay, I was always meant to fall and then the ground was gone and he.. Tikki I don't know where he went but he was gone!"

Her parents were gone; a baking trip for a week. They'd closed the shop and offered to take her with them but she'd declined; after all she did have school. Marinette had never been so relieved that her parents weren't at home, for all the screaming and crying she was doing, and the anguished scream that tore from her lips when Tikki sank to the ground at the information.

"Tikki! What's wrong? What do I do!?" Marinette cried, cupping the red kwami in her hands. Tikki was crying now too.

"Marinette, I'm sorry. This happens a lot with Chat Noirs, they….they are the embodiment of bad luck, and for them to be chosen they often have…hard lives. I know many of Plagg's chosens have died by their own hand." Marinette shrieked.

"I'm only telling you this because I believe your dream was a sign. You might still be able to save him if you go now. I don't think I have ever seen a Chat Noir and Ladybug so closely entwined…I-you need to go to him, now, please Marinette. You might be the only one who can help him."

"How?" Marinette whispered.

"Because you know him. Chat Noir is Adrien."

Marinette's world stopped.


	2. Chapter 2

With numb, shaking arms Marinette pushed herself off from the floor. She wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball in the corner of her room and forget about everything, but Tikki's insisting that she find Chat now made adrenaline pump through her veins. She quietly left the bakery, transforming behind it before taking to the roofs to find Chat. _Follow your heart, Marinette_ , Tikki had said. She closed her eyes and let her feet take her to her destination; the Eiffel Tower.

She landed silently, her bluebell eyes quickly finding her partner at the edge of the tower, and her stomach dropped at the sight of him. His shoulders were shaking, green eyes staring down at the city below. Tears were already blurring her vision, he was close to the edge; too close.

"Chaton," Ladybug whispered, inching closer to the boy. He flinched, shoulders visibly tensing. "What are you doing?" Her partner was silent for a moment before responding in a shaking voice, "I-I didn't want you to watch."

Marinette swallowed, "Watch what, kitten?" A sob tore past Chat's, Adrien's lips. He pressed a hand to his mouth to stifle it. "I-I just...I don't know what to do anymore Ladybug! I-it just...it hurts too much! No one needs me here, it would be...it would just be so easy to leave, and then it wouldn't-it...it wouldn't _hurt_..." Chat trailed off and she took another step forward.

"That's not _true_ kitten, even if no one else does, _I_ need you, please, come back from the ledge. I-I couldn't do this without you." Chat laughed a hollow-sounding noise that would be forever seared into her memory. She hated that sound, oh what she would give to hear him laugh for real.

"We both know you d-don't need me milady," he whispered, "you're the one who-who has good luck. You're the one with lucky charm. You're the one with a plan. You're the one with the miraculous ladybug, I-I'm _useless_! Just as much as I am in real life!"

She was close enough that she could almost touch him.

"You may not have lucky charm, but you are just as important in a fight as I am. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you Chaton. What about Cataclysm? What about all the plans that we have worked through together? I wouldn't have been able to do that without you! And that's just fighting Akumas! What about all the other things? I would have given up had it not been for you! Don't you know that? Don't you know how much I fucking love you?" she was yelling now, but she didn't care because he was looking at her now, green eyes wide in _shock_.

"I am so, so sorry that you felt I didn't." she finished in a whisper. _One more step and she could pull him from the ledge._

"I-" Chat never got to finish his sentence. He turned to face her completely and slipped.

Alya has always told her she's a bit of an overthinker. As Marinette, she overthinks almost anything if it involves Adrien or other people or situations where she doesn't feel comfortable as herself. As Ladybug, she likes to have a plan. She likes to have some idea of what she's going to do before it happens.

But this time she didn't think. She only screamed, and launched herself down after him. Chat fell like an angel. His limbs extended in front of him, his eyes screwed shut. Marinette pressed her arms and legs together, pointing her body like a dagger to speed her descent. She wrapped one arm around Chat, and his eyes snapped open in shock. She desperately threw her yo-yo upwards. It caught on the ledge they'd both been standing on and propelled them both upwards. She landed on the ledge, yo-yo dropping from her hand as she wrapped both arms around Chat, dragging him as far away from the ledge as she could before they both collapsed in a heap on the ground. Chat was more or less sitting in her lap, and she crushed him to her chest, reassuring herself that he was alive by the erratic thump of his heart and the hands that snaked around her waist. Her sobs joined his as they sat there unmoving until the sun began to rise.

Marinette pulled away slightly, her hands moving to cup his face as she stared deep in his eyes.

" _Please_ don't leave me, please don't. Kitten, you have _no idea_ how much I love you. I promise you will never be alone because I will _always_ be here for you _no matter what_." Marinette poured her heart and soul into her words, resting her forehead on his as she struggled not to burst out crying again. Chat still had tears running down his face, but he gently gripped her wrists and gave her a small smile.

"Okay," he whispered.

"Promise me, please, promise me you'll never do that again?"

"I promise."

Another thought made its unwanted presence known in Marinette's head, and her gaze flickered down to his wrists.

"Do you...do you do anything else?" she asked vaguely, but he seemed to understand as his gaze dropped to the floor and he seemed to cry harder now.

"I'm sorry," he begged her, "I'm sorry please don't leave me,"

Marinette stroked his cheek very gently. "I'm not going to leave you kitten, I love you, remember? You're gonna be okay, I promise." he buried his head in her shoulder again. It wasn't until the early morning traffic began to sound that he pulled away slightly, looking at her with slight dread in his eyes. "I-I have school...soon," he whispered, and she nodded, "Me too." They both rose to a standing position, Marinette picking up her yo-yo and gripping Chat's hands.

"Are you okay going back? Because we don't have to do that if you don't want to," she said softly, wiping the last of his tears away with her thumbs. He nodded slowly, leaning into her touch. Marinette bit her lip.

"You promise?" she whispered. He nodded, "I promise." She stared at him for a second before very gently connecting their lips. The kiss was soft, sweet, and quicker than either of them wanted but it comforted her. "It's gonna be okay Chaton, I promise,"

oOo

Upon reaching her room, Marinette whispered a soft, "Spots off," and Tikki immediately flew to her face.

"Marinette, are you alright?" she asked softly. Marinette gently cupped the kwami in her hand, stroking her head softly, "I think so Tikki, it's just a lot to take in. Thank you, thank you so much for warning me, I-I don't know what I would have done if he'd-I-I thank you for holding my transformation for so long," she gushed, tears slipping down her cheeks. The kwami nodded, smiling at her sadly before asking, "Are you going to tell him who you are?"

Marinette nodded, "Yeah, yeah I am, I wanted to give him a little time to process everything before I threw that into the mix though," she said, and Tikki nodded approvingly.

"He doesn't really have that much time," Tikki said, pointing to Marinette's alarm clock that read 5 am.

"Yeah, but hopefully it will have to do," Marinette whispered. Knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep, the least she could do was be early to school.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> I just wanted to address a few comments I got about Tikki revealing Adrien's identity. 
> 
> So, yes, technically, Tikki cannot speak the name of any chosen other than her own unless her chosen knows the identity of another miraculous holder already. 
> 
> However, one of the parts of the story (which I'm sorry if I wasn't super clear about) was Marinette's dream. She dreamt about Chat Noir dying willingly, a sign that he was in danger of potentially killing himself. Tikki sensed the strong magic surrounding Marinette's dream, which was actually a message, and that combined with the fact that Ladybug and Chat Noir are deeply bonded allowed Tikki to reveal Chat Noir as Adrien. 
> 
> But don't worry! Tikki will explain this all to Mari and Adrien in a later chapter! 
> 
> :D 
> 
> Okie onward with the story!

After fetching a few cookies for Tikki, Marinette decided to have a shower. She quickly undressed and stepped under the scalding water, not caring for how it made her skin red and tingly. She washed her hair quickly before standing under the spray, staring at the wall in front of her. She punched it, hard enough to hurt but not hard enough to cause any real damage. She screamed, and then she shut off the water. Wrapping herself up in a pink towel, she climbed back up the ladder into her room and headed for her dresser. Tikki hovered by her shoulder uncertainly.

"Are you okay Marinette? I heard you scream," Tikki said quietly, nuzzling her cheek. Marinette smiled down at her kwami. _Oh, what would she do without Tikki?_

"I'm fine, sorry. I just needed to let that out. Everything is gonna be okay though, I'm gonna help him Tikki I promise," she said confidently. Marinette pulled out a pair of black capris jeans and a large red sweater. She did her hair in her usual pigtails and put on some makeup to hide her dark circles. She slipped the lucky charm bracelet Adrien had made her into her pocket and laced up a pair of brown combat boots. Satisfied, she slipped some cookies into her purse, and Tikki zoomed in. She snatched up her backpack from the floor and slid it on her shoulders, walking slowly downstairs. She slipped a few croissants into a bag, some for Adrien and some for her, and checked the time. Even if she walked slowly, she was going to be almost an hour early. Looking around the dark house, she decided she would head to school anyways. She slipped Adrien's black umbrella into her bag after seeing the dark clouds and left for school.

As she expected, hardly anyone was there. The dark clouds had caused what little students already there to slip inside, but Marinette headed to a bench and sat down. Scanning the area, she was about to pull out a croissant before her eyes zeroed in on him. He was across the schoolyard, sitting on a secluded bench with his knees pulled up to his chest. She wouldn't have seen him had she not been looking. When she squinted, she could see a little black blur hovering around him, no doubt his kwami. She drank in his appearance, heart-clenching at the thought that had she not had that nightmare, he wouldn't _be here._

He was as beautiful as ever. He was wearing black converse and black pants, along with a large dark grey t-shirt over a black long-sleeved shirt, and she had to remind herself to _breathe_ because she knew why he was wearing that. She approached him, all traces of her previous nervousness around him gone. He was her partner, she knew him, she _loved him._

"Hey," she said softly, reaching his bench. His kwami, Plagg, was nowhere in sight. He startled, almost jumping up from the bench to greet her and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Oh, hey Marinette," he spoke, his voice fake, "I, uh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." his smile didn't reach his eyes. Marinette did the one thing her mind was screaming the loudest; she hugged him. At first, he tensed, then he shuddered, before practically melting into her touch, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face into her shoulder. She held him for what felt like forever until he spoke softly into her shoulder.

"Um, not that this isn't really nice, but are you okay?" he asked her, voice muffled slightly by her sweater. She smiled softly, fully aware that there were tears in her eyes as she pulled away slightly, but not far enough that she let go of him. His eyes widened comically as he briefly panicked.

"Oh, Mon Dieu Marinette you're crying I-" she cut him off by saying softly, "I should be asking you that," He blinked.

"Huh?" She smiled softly and pressed her forehead to his, the same way Ladybug had done to Chat mere hours ago, and repeated what she had said to him before. " _Kitten,_ " his mouth dropped open, "You have _no_ _idea_ how much I love you. I promise you will never be alone because I will _always_ be here for you _no matter what_. Please, kitten, don't leave." For a minute, Adrien just stood there in shock. Then his lips trembled and his eyes filled with tears and he flung himself back into her embrace, sobbing. She gently pulled him back to the bench, sitting them both down and letting him cry. When his tears began to subside, she wiped the remaining ones away with her thumbs.

Adrien curled up on the bench, laying on his back with his head nested in her lap.

"Thanks, milady," he whispered, toying with his fingers.

"You know you're important, right? I-I don't know what I'd do without you Adrien, and I don't just mean in battle; the world wouldn't be the same without you and I'd _hate it_." He bit his lip.

"But, you'd get over it, I'm really not that special," he muttered, voice thick with self-loathing. Marinette's tears were splashing on his cheeks, mixing with his own as she shook her head.

"No, Adrien, I-I couldn't...I don't even want to think about a world without you in it. It's too hard, I couldn't". He's already pressed against her but she holds him tighter. "You _promised me_ kitten, please don't go. Talk to me, I don't care what time it is or how stupid it sounds to you because you are _important_ , I love you, and I'm gonna make it better, okay? You've just gotta trust me." Adrien gives her a watery smile.

"I've always trusted you milady," he says sincerely, and she smiles back, burying her nose into his hair.

"Marinette?" he asks softly.

"Yeah?"

"I-I love you too," Marinette swore her heart stopped beating. His smile finally lit up his eyes and a blush darkened her cheeks. She pressed her lips softly to his and felt his heartbeat pounding against his chest. He was _here_ , he was _alive_ , and he _loved her back_. Parting for air, she smiled and gently threaded her hands through his hair. He purred, earning a surprised chuckle from Marinette, his body going slack against hers as he nuzzled her hand with his head.

"No one ever touches you like this, do they?" she asked, frowning at the way Adrien seemed to collapse into a puddle at her touch. He hummed a negative response, and she kissed his nose. "I guess I'll have to make up for that then, won't I?" she whispered. He blinked up at her, "Would you?" he asked, wonder coloring his tone.

"Of course minou, and especially if it makes you purr," she teased, grinning at the rose tint his cheeks developed. "Oh, I almost forgot," Marinette rummaged through her purse, pulling out the bag of croissants.

"I brought you breakfast," she handed him a croissant, and she could only describe his expression as one of absolute amazement. "For me?" he asked, his voice light.

"Yes of course silly, and cheese for your kwami, Tikki told me he likes cheese," Both kwamis floated out at the mention of them, Adrien's floating uncertainly to sit on his shoulder, while Tikki hovered over Adrien's nose.

"Hi Adrien! I'm Tikki! It's nice to finally meet you!" she chirped. Adrien smiled, "Hey Tikki," Tikki sent him a dazzling smile before tackling Plagg into a hug. Marinette giggled, passing Tikki a cookie and Plagg a piece of camembert, before taking a croissant for herself. When they'd finished, she checked the time on her phone.

"We have about ten minutes before class," she told Adrien.

"What are we gonna do?" he asked uncertainly.

"About what?" Adrien resumed playing with his fingers, biting his lip before shaking his head, his cheeks coloring before responding, "Erm, nothing." Marinette frowned, tilting his head so that he looked at her again.

"Minou, I won't judge you. What are you worried about?" Adrien bit his lip harder before responding in a small voice, "What are we gonna do about us?" Marinette smiled.

"We can do whatever you want, kitten. If it's too much to start dating...er, if that's even what you want to do, then I get that. But...if you want to then-"

"I want to" he interjected. Marinette smiled, "Then I guess I'll start calling you my kitten," she smiled sweetly at him. He smiled back, "And you're my bug," Her hands returned to his hair, satsified at the happy hum escaping Adrien's lips as she gently scratched where his cat ears would have been.

"Adrien, I do need to ask you something before we go into class," Marinette said, squeezing his hand gently. His eyes dropped, nodding slowly. She kissed him, "You trust me, right?" He nodded, "Can you show me your wrists?" Adrien's face paled, and he shot up into a sitting position.

"I-oh fuck I-I said that, didn't I? Oh god oh god oh god please Mari don't send me away, please please you can't tell anyone I-" Marinette enveloped him into another hug.

"It's okay, It's alright Chaton I've got you. I'm not telling anyone nor am I sending you away, you're safe. I just wanna make sure you're okay minou, just breathe, it's okay," Adrien's panicked gasping faded away into normal-sounding breaths and he let go of his shirt collar, breathing deeply and closing his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he whimpered, pressing his nails into his hands. Marinette gently took his hands in hers and kissed them, "It's okay kitten, you have nothing to apologize for," she whispered, kissing his fabric-covered wrists.

"Do you trust me?" she said softly, ignoring the warning bell from the school. "Yeah," he whispered back to her, his grip on her hands slackening. She pressed her forehead back to his and gently uncovered his wrists, stifling a gasp at the deep red gashes. She swallowed softly, her fingers ghosting over the torn skin and dried blood.

"I-I should wrap these," she whispered, reaching for the gauze in her backpack. Adrien was crying again now. "I'm sorry," he whimpered, bowing his head to his chest. She shook her head, pulling him in for another kiss, pouring her heart and soul into it. "It's okay, it's okay minou I've got you." She gently wrapped his wrists in the white bandages, kissing the tops of the bandages when she was done, and carefully pulling his sleeves back down. She stood and offered him her hand, which he gratefully took. Plagg flew into Adrien's bag and Tikki into Marinette's purse. She slung her backpack over one shoulder and squeezed his hand, winking at him when the bell rang, signaling that they were late.

"I've got you."


	4. Chapter 4

The class quieted when they walked through the door, hand in hand. Madame Bustier paused her writing on the chalkboard, regarding the pair with what could only be described as slight shock and pride. Ayla, who was sitting in Nino's usual seat, froze in place, her phone clattering to the floor, and whatever she'd been passionately explaining to Nino, who sat next to her, died on her lips. Nino spun around, facing Marinette and his jaw dropped to the floor. Chloé let out a high pitched squeal of disgust and the rest of the class was simply staring.

"I apologize Madame!" Marinette immediately piped up, subtly squeezing Adrien's hand, "I tripped down the stairs and spilled all my stuff but then Adrien helped to clean it up and then we were late, I'm really sorry!" she intentionally rambled, their joined hands already causing enough suspicion as it was. Adrien seemed to suddenly remember himself, his posture straightening and his face melting into his signature model smile, nodding at Marinette's words and adding his own smooth apology, voice friendly but cool.

Marinette wasn't sure how that made her feel.

Madame Bustier gave them a small smile, a rare sight for her as she dismissed their apologizes and directed them back to their seats. Alya was still frozen in her spot and Marinette had no intention of leaving Adrien's side, so she gently pulled him to her usual bench, Adrien sliding in first and her next to him. He sat close to her, arms touching slightly. They put their bags underneath their desks, Marinette opening her purse so Plagg could sit with Tikki. The cat kwami, who Tikki had described as usually very loud and obnoxious and never shutting up about cheese, was quiet, staring at Adrien as though a small breeze might whisk the boy away. Tikki wrapped her tiny arm around him, and they retreated to the back of her purse.

Marinette pulled out her black and pink notebook, taking out a black pen and beginning to copy the notes down from the board. Adrien pulled out his own green notebook and a black pen, and Marinette had to suppress what would have been a slightly crazed giggle because _how did she not notice the similarities before?_

As much as she knew she should be focusing on the lesson, Marinette couldn't help but frequently sneak glances at the blonde, reassuring herself that he was still there. It was about midway through the lesson that she noticed he wasn't really copying down notes, instead half-heartedly doodling ladybugs, cats, and flowers in the margins of his notebook. His grip on the pen was tight, his knuckles white and his hand trembling ever so slightly, but other than that and some dark circles underneath his eyes, Adrien looked fairly normal to prying eyes. It was almost scary to her how well he could hide his true self.

Marinette's pen slowed down, focusing on keeping her handwriting as neat as possible and duplicating her notes so Adrien could have a set. She ignored the frantic buzzing in her pant pocket, knowing Alya was most likely losing it over her unresponsiveness. The whole school was probably going to interrogate them at lunch.

Her face paled at that.

What would Adrien want to say? Would he want her to be the one to explain things? They were holding hands, it's clear they are more than friends now but what would he want her to say about it? She snuck another glance to find his green eyes staring back at her. Checking to make sure Madame Bustier was still facing the chalkboard, Marinette attempted something.

She knew he had amazing hearing inside the Chat Noir suit, but since some of Ladybug's attributes had carried on to her civilian form, and backed with the knowledge that he could apparently purr as Adrien, she wondered if his hearing still applied to his civilian form. She lowered her voice to volume no one else would have been able to hear and asked, "What do you want to tell them?"

Adrien kept on doodling in his notebook, and for a second Marinette wasn't sure he'd actually heard her until his arm very subtly knocked against hers and tapped the spine of his book. Written in small print by a pencil was, _I have a plan._ She nodded her head slightly at him, signaling that she'd understood and internally screaming. Part of her wanted to combust into flames at how well they could communicate. Of course Ladybug and Chat Noir did this all the time, but she'd never done it as Marinette and something about that made her heart soar.

* * *

Morning classes swept by rather quickly, and as Marinette had predicted, as soon as the bell rang for lunch their classmates interrogated them. Marinette was zipping up her backpack when Chloé came sauntering over, hands on her hips and a disgusted curl to her lips.

"Adrikens!" she shrieked, Sabrina wincing at her side, "What are you doing holding hands with Maritrash? You're supposed to be with me!"

"Don't call her that Chloé," Adrien's voice was as smooth as ever, no trace of his previous shyness or tears of that morning, but there was a slight bite to it that Marinette had never heard him use before.

"What do you mean? You should be hanging out with _me_ , I'm better for you Adrien you know that." Chloé retorted, and Marinette blinked, red tinting her vision.

"Leave him alone Chloé," she snapped, and all eyes flew to her.

"Maritrash you clearly aren't smart enough to understand that he's mine an-"

"HEY," Adrien growled and Marinette surged forward. Any other day she might have been nicer to Chloé, but Adrien didn't need to deal with her right now.

"Shut up Chloé," Marinette snapped, jabbing her finger into Chloé's chest, "Adrien is a _person_ and therefore does not _belong_ to _anyone_! I'm sorry you have such a problem with that, but if you know what's fucking good for you then you'll _leave him alone_ before I stop being so nice!"

Even Adrien was staring at her now, eyes bright with shock and confusion, and Marinette wanted to _destroy_ whoever was involved in making Adrien feel confused when people stood up for him because that wasn't fair. He deserved to feel safe, not alone.

Chloé huffed, reeling backwards and stomping off, Sabrina trailing at her heels. There was a tense silence for a second where Marinette sighed softly and muttered a soft apology to her classmates before the room went up into a series of whoops and cheers.

"About time girl!" came Alya's bright laughter, briefly hugging her while Nino gave Adrien a proud-sounding, "Dude," and high-fived him. Marinette felt the tension leave her shoulders as she saw Adrien's eyes sparkle as he leaned down to kiss her, leaving her knees weak and more cheers from her classmates.

"So what did I miss? Last time I checked Marinette was so head-over-heels for you she couldn't form words!" Alya teased. Marinette blushed furiously while lightly punching her friend's arm. Adrien chuckled.

"Seriously Dude, enlighten us," Nino grinned. Marinette felt a momentary flare of panic. What were they supposed to say? _Oh, so Marinette found me last night about to commit suicide and caught me when I fell and we confessed our love and oh also I'm Chat Noir and she's Ladybug so that's why we were even ON the tower in the first place and it turns out we've known each other a while now so yeah._

That wouldn't end well.

Adrien rescued her, wrapping one arm around her shoulders while the other rubbed the back of his neck like he always did when he was nervous.

"Oh, you know. I was late this morning and so was Marinette, so I caught up to her on the stairs. I kinda startled her and she fell but I caught her, but her bag fell so I helped pick her stuff up, and then it was kinda just, I dunno a moment, and I confessed that I've loved her ever since I'd met her, and, well, you know..."

The class was silent for a while until Rose burst out into tears, exclaiming a soft "That was beautiful" and soon the whole class was joining in, making Adrien and Marinette's cheeks flush red. Marinette could feel Adrien fidgeting slightly under all the attention, and she squeezed his hand for comfort. Luckily, the rest of the class quickly dissipated for lunch, leaving only her, Adrien, Alya, and Nino in the room. They quickly packed up their bags before walking out together.

"Seriously, congrats dudes, we've been waiting for you lovebirds to get together since forever," Nino complimented them, lightly punching Adrien's shoulder. Nino wasn't looking, but Marinette was and she saw the barley concealed wince from Adrien. She swallowed slightly, subconsciously pulling him closer to her, but he didn't seem to mind.

The group settled down for lunch on the top of the stairs of the school after seeing the dark clouds from earlier that morning had yet to leave. Marinette sat with her back to the wall, Ayla and Nino already in deep discussion about a new video game next to her. Adrien settled down on her other side, leaning on her shoulder and letting his eyes droop. Marinette pulled out her bag of croissants, offering one to him. He shook his head, "No thanks."

Marinette frowned, "Come on Adrien, you barley ate anything this morning. I'll tell you what, eat this for me and then you can use my lap as a pillow, 'cause don't think I can't see you're ready to pass out." Adrien sighed softly. "Really, thanks Marinette but I-I can't."

"You can't?" Marinette echoed, shifting away from her friends and keeping her voice low so that they wouldn't hear. Adrien bit his lip before nodding. "Why?"

"Father has me on a diet right now," Adrien mumbled, staring at the croissant in her hand. For the second time that day, Marinette saw red.

"But-but you're already so skinny!" She whisper-yelled, anger bubbling in her veins. Adrien just chuckled bitterly, "Apparently not skinny enough," "Adrien, I-I-" Marinette tugged at her pigtails, and Adrien's eyes snapped to meet hers, tears beginning to shine in them, "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Hey, dude what's going on? Are you okay?" Came Nino's voice, Adrien swallowed, blinking back his tears, "Y-yeah, Nino, I'm fine. I-uh, I just realized, um-I'll be right back," he muttered, digging his nails into his hands. "Adrien-" Nino's voice fell on deaf ears as Adrien all but ran from them, disappearing down the hall. Nino and Alya quickly stood up, Nino moving to follow Adrien but Marinette stopped him.

"What's going on Mari?" Alya's came Alya's concerned voice, placing her hand on Marinette's shoulder. Nino tugged on her arm, "Let me go, I have to go after him,"

"Please, Nino, Alya, let me handle this," Marinette spoke softly. Her friends turned to face her. "What's wrong with Adrien?" Nino asked calmly.

_Gosh, it would be so much easier if she could just tell them everything. But she couldn't._

"He's under a lot of stress right now and I guess he didn't sleep well last night." The lie easily rolled off her tongue.

"Why, what's going on?" Alya asked her.

"Uh, he said there's some big photo shoot coming up, and erm...well, you know what time of year is coming up. I guess his father has been...er, distant,"

"More so than usual?" Nino asked her, frowning as he clenched his fists. "Yeah," Marinette hated the way they both looked at her with such trust shining in their eyes. She hated the way it had become so easy to lie.

"Um, just, I'll go talk to him, okay? Can, er, can you maybe not bring it up with him? He's got enough going on as it is and is a little, uh, self-conscious about it I guess," Nino and Alya instantly nodded, "Of course Mari," Nino answered for them, settling back down with Alya, who winked at her.

"Work your magic girl, he'll be right as rain in no time!" Marinette smiled and winked back at her before heading down the hall, but her stomach was churning at Alya's words. Of course, they didn't know how bad Adrien was, but something about Alya's comment left Marinette wondering if that would ever be true.


End file.
